Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-22

best essay written upon the subject
s'Ralph Waldo Emerson; his writings and
teachings" The judges Rev. J. W.
Lambert Of RayenswoOd. Hon Lewis
Bennett. Of Weston, and Major w. D
OBrien, Of Lewiseounty, awarded the
prize fer the best defamation to Miss
Maude BrannOn Of Chenille. The prize
essay upon which the decision had
previously been made was then
read by Miss Ida NJ. Brannon,
of the senior class who bad won it. All
the deelsmations Of the evening were fine,
and the prize essay was of more than Ordi-
nary excellence and showed Miss Brannon
to be young lady Of very considerable
literary culture
Commencement day Is always for Glen
vile the gala day Of the year, and this
year it was more truly so than ever, for
there were seven graduates By o'clock
the town was thrOnged with people, many
having come from Writ, Calhoun, Braxton,
Lewis and Harrison. At that hour the
Hon. B. s. Morgan, accompanied by the
Faculty and the senior class, entered the
church and filed up the aisle to the front.
The Rev. ]. E. Bare led the people in a
short prayer, after which Mr. Brown brief
IL stated the progress which the school had
made during the past year, which he
thought was substantial, and commented
on the growing educational and social
power of this school throughout Gilmer
and the surrounding counties
The music for the day was furnished by
Miss Mary Eagen, Jesse Norris and Normal
School choir. The graduates were Misses
Ida NJ. BrannOD, Rue C. Bennett, Emma
E. Hays and Jessie c. Norris, of Glenville,
Miss Annie E. SilcOtt, Of GAINESVILLE, Cal
houn county, Miss Carrie Wiesenfeld, OF
Cutlip's, Braxton county, and Dir. 5. W.
Warner, of Sand Fork, Gilmer county.
Miss Brannon's essay, whose subject was
Excelsior" with salutatOTy, was written
with her usual literary elegance and which
was most excellently read, came first.
The second was well written essay by
Miss Rue c. Bennett, upon The Fallen
Leaf" IN this she exhibited her well
known love for Botany and wrote with sci
entific correctness. After music Miss
Emma E. Hays read an essay written with
exquisite literary polish, upon Father
Ryan, the Poet Priest of the South" The
fourth essay was read by Miss Jessie Norris,
upon Poetry and a Poet" This essay
showed high critical taste and held that
Bryant was the truest Of our American
poets. Music followed. The Miss Annie
Silcott read an essay upon Friendship
which was we'll received by the audience
and was indeed good essay. Next
Miss Carrie Wiesenield read an essay
upon Representative Modern Historians
and Their Work" This essay evinced
wider reading and maturer thought than
any of the essays, was written in rich,
strong language and was admirable IN
structure. The last was an Grafton by
Mr. L. W. Warner upon politics and Pub
| lie Schools, " and in this he laid open with
fearless hand the method of politicians
in dealing with school affairs, and was
heartily applauded at the close. The
diplomas were then conferred upon the
graduates by Hon. B. l.. Morgan, who
then made most an admirable address con-
sisting of wise admOnitiOns and good adj
vice After a few minutes talk in a very
feeling manner by Mr.. Brown, the au-
| dience was dismissed.
Owing TO a mistake in time the Hon.
| Daniel b. Lucas did not arrive at the hour
appointed for his lecture, but later IN the
evening he arrived and was greeted with
an enthusiastic audience, when he spoke in
his usual classical and eloquent manner.
His subject was Daniel O'COnnell. The
lecturer declared O'Connell to have been
the greatest orator who has lived since the
days of DemOsthenes; and said he was the
first to contend for universal religious
liberty The whole lecture, of an hour
and halfs length, was brilliant, able and
captivating, and the audience showed its
appreciation by frequent outbursts of ap-
plause. Mr.. Lucas is scholar, a thinker
and an orator, and our people will always
be glad to have him come among Us and
| entertain us. OBSERVER.